Lantana plant named ‘Sunny Side Up’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Lantana  plant named ‘Sunny Side Up’, characterized by its low growing, spreading growth habit; leathery, scabrous dark green foliage; continuous flowering; and yellow flower buds that open to yellow with a darker golden-yellow center and age to white with a yellow center.

Genus and species of plant claimed: Lantana sp.

Variety denomination: ‘Sunny Side Up’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Lantana plant, botanically known as Lantana sp., and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Sunny Side Up’.

The new Lantana plant originated from a controlled cross between Lantana sp. ‘Chapel Hill Gold’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,539) and an unnamed selection of Lantana camara (not patented) as part of a planned breeding program to develop low growing, continuously flowering Lantanas with dark green foliage. The cultivar ‘Sunny Side Up’ originated and was discovered in a cultivated environment in Watkinsville, Ga.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by stem cuttings in Watkinsville, Ga. has shown that all the unique features of this new Lantana, as herein described, are stable and reproduced true-to-type through successive generations of such asexual propagation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new cultivar ‘Sunny Side Up’ have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with changes in light, temperature, soil and rainfall without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be unique characteristics of ‘Sunny Side Up’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Sunny Side Up’ as a new and distinct cultivar: 1. Low growing, spreading growth habit; 2. Leathery, scabrous dark green foliage; 3. Continuous flowering; and 4. Yellow flower buds that open to yellow with a darker golden-yellow center and age to white with a yellow center.

Plants of the new Lantana ‘Sunny Side Up’ differ from plants of the female parent, ‘Chapel Hill Gold’, primarily in flower color, as plants of ‘Chapel Hill Gold’ have bright golden yellow flower buds and flowers, whereas plants of ‘Sunny Side Up’ have yellow flower buds that open to yellow with a darker golden-yellow center and age to white with a yellow center. Plants of the new Lantana ‘Sunny Side Up’ differ from plants of the male parent, an unnamed selection, primarily in flower color, foliage color, and growth habit, as plants of the male parent have white flower buds that open to solid white flowers, medium green foliage, and a smaller, rounded growth habit, whereas plants of ‘Sunny Side Up’ have yellow flower buds that open to yellow with a darker golden-yellow center and age to white with a yellow center, dark green foliage, and an overall wider, lower, spreading growth habit.

Plants of the new cultivar ‘Sunny Side Up’ can be compared to plants of the cultivar ‘LCBCW’ (not patented). However, in side-by-side comparisons conducted in Watkinsville, Ga., plants of the new cultivar ‘Sunny Side Up’ differed from plants of the cultivar ‘LCBCW’ in the following characteristics: 1. Plants of the new cultivar ‘Sunny Side Up’ had darker green, thicker, more scabrous foliage than plants of the cultivar ‘LCBCW’; 2. Plants of the new cultivar ‘Sunny Side Up’ had brighter flower color and larger flowers than plants of the cultivar ‘LCBCW’; and 3. Plants of the new cultivar ‘Sunny Side Up’ produced a finished size saleable plant quicker than plants of the cultivar ‘LCBCW’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying color photographs illustrate the flower and foliage characteristics and the overall appearance of the new Lantana, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in color reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Lantana.

FIG. 1 illustrates the overall appearance of a mature plant of ‘Sunny Side Up’.

FIG. 2 illustrates a close-up view of the inflorescences and foliage of ‘Sunny Side Up’.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. Plants used for the description were approximately six months old and were grown in 8 L containers in full sun under outdoor conditions in a nursery in Watkinsville, Ga.

-   Botanical classification: Lantana sp., cultivar ‘Sunny Side Up’.     -   -   Parentage.—Female parent: Lantana sp. cultivar ‘Chapel Hill             Gold’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,539). Male parent: Lantana             camara unnamed selection (not patented).         -   Propagation.—Stem cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 10 days at 32° C. -   Plant description:     -   -   Herbaceous flowering plant, subshrub, low growing, spreading             growth habit.—Freely branching; two lateral branches             potentially forming at every node; pinching enhances lateral             branch development.         -   Root description.—Numerous, fine, fibrous and well-branched.         -   Plant size.—About 45 cm in height from the soil level to the             top of the inflorescences, and about 120 cm in diameter.             Young stems having a diameter of about 3 mm and a squarish             shape. Mature stems having a diameter of about 4 mm or more,             having a length of 58 cm, and a rounded shape.         -   Stem strength.—Strong, but flexible.         -   Stem texture.—Coarse, pubescent.         -   Stem color (young).—144B. Color (mature): 199B.         -   Internode length.—About 3.5 cm. -   Vegetative buds: Opposite in arrangement, valvate, ovoid, pubescent.     -   -   Color.—144A.         -   Size.—About 1 mm in length and about 1 mm in width. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Opposite, simple. Length: about 4 cm. Width:             about 2.7 cm. Shape: ovate. Apex: acute. Base: cuneate.             Margin: crenate.         -   Texture (upper surface).—Leathery, moderately waxy, with             scabrous pubescence. Texture (lower surface): rough, with             hispid pubescence.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate. Venation color (upper surface):             144B. Venation color (lower surface): 144C.         -   Fragrance.—Pungent, mint-like.         -   Color of developing foliage (upper surface).—137B. Color of             developing foliage (lower surface): 143C. Color of fully             expanded foliage (upper surface): 147A. Color of fully             expanded foliage (lower surface): 147B.         -   Petiole length.—About 7 mm. Petiole diameter: about 2 mm.             Petiole texture, both surfaces: hispid pubescence. Petiole             color (upper surface): 144B. Petiole color (lower surface):             144C. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower type and habit.—Small salverform flowers arranged in             axillary corymbs; flowers face mostly upward or outward.             Flowers are self-cleaning. Freely flowering with potentially             two inflorescences per node; typically about 25 flowers per             corymb. Natural flowering season: spring until the first             frost in fall; flowering is continuous. Flower longevity on             the plant: about one week. Fragrance: faint, pleasant.         -   Inflorescence diameter.—About 3.9 cm. Inflorescence height:             about 2 cm.         -   Flower bud length.—About 1 cm. Flower bud diameter: about             3 mm. Flower bud shape: oblong. Flower bud color: 12C.         -   Flower appearance.—Flared trumpet, corolla fused,             four-parted; flowers roughly rectangular in shape. Floret             diameter: about 1.1 cm. Floret depth: 1.1 cm. Corolla tube             diameter at the base: 2 mm. Corolla tube length: about 1.3             cm.         -   Pedicels.—None observed, flowers not stalked. -   Petals:     -   -   Arrangement/appearance.—Single whorl of four petals, fused             into flared trumpet.         -   Petal length from throat.—About 7 mm for the upper petal,             about 5 mm for the lower petal, and about 4.5 mm for the             lateral petals.         -   Petal width.—Upper and lower petals are about 8 mm in width,             and lateral petals are about 5 mm in width.         -   Petal shape.—Spatulate to somewhat orbicular. Petal apex:             obtuse. Petal base: fused. Petal margin: entire. Petal             texture, upper and lower surfaces: smooth, glabrous.         -   Petal color (young).—Upper surface: 4C and lower surface:             4D. Color of throat: 13A. Color of corolla tube: 8C.         -   Petal color (mature).—Upper and lower surfaces: 155C. Color             of throat: 9A. Color of corolla tube: 8D. -   Calyx:     -   -   Arrangement/appearance.—Leaf-like at the base of the             corolla. Length is about 6 mm. Width is about 1.5 mm. Shape:             lanceolate. Apex: acute. Margin: entire. Texture, upper and             lower surface: scabrous.         -   Calyx color, upper and lower surfaces.—144A. -   Peduncles:     -   -   Length.—About 5 cm.         -   Diameter.—About 1.5 mm.         -   Angle.—About 45 degrees from the stem.         -   Strength.—Flexible, but strong.         -   Color.—144B. -   Stamens:     -   -   Quantity/arrangement.—Four per flower, adnate to the inside             of the corolla tube.         -   Anther shape.—Oblong.         -   Filament length.—1.5 mm.         -   Anther length.—1 mm.         -   Anther width.—Less than 1 mm.         -   Anther color.—13B.         -   Pollen amount.—Produced in very small quantities, and 13B in             color. -   Pistils:     -   -   Quantity.—One inferior pistil per flower.         -   Pistil length.—About 3 mm.         -   Stigma shape.—Rounded.         -   Stigma color.—145C.         -   Style color.—145C.         -   Ovary color.—145C. -   Fruit:     -   -   Type/appearance.—Drupe.         -   Shape.—Round.         -   Diameter.—About 5 mm.         -   Mature color.—202A.         -   Number per infructescence.—Ranges from zero to about five. -   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the claimed Lantana variety grown     in the garden have not been noted to be susceptible or resistant to     pathogens and pests common to Lantana. -   Weather and temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Lantana     cultivar have been observed to be tolerant to rain and wind, and     have been observed to be tolerant to temperatures ranging from about     2 degrees C. to about 38 degrees C. 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct Lantana plant named ‘Sunny Side Up’, as illustrated and described herein. 